Are you a
cat person or a dog person? In my observations, cats and dogs possess very
different traits.
Most dogs
(and there are always exceptions, of course), are devoted companions, love
wholeheartedly, live to serve, tolerate annoyances, exhibit patience, and feel
guilty when they have done wrong.
Cats, on the
other hand, exercise independence, love selectively, expect to be served (on
time), hiss at small irritations, stalk off at the least provocation, and shed
guilt along with their fur.
And yet, I love cats! Despite their apparently
selfish ways, they bring me great pleasure. I love stroking our cat, Baxter’s super
silky fur, rubbing his translucent ears, cuddling up on the recliner
accompanied by his contented purr, listening to his happy chirps as he plays
with his favorite rubber ball or chows down on his Friskies, and even his selfish
nuzzles and less than gentle pats on my nose when he needs me and I am sleepy.
But perhaps,
the underlying reason I love cats is because I identify with them—especially in
my Christian walk.
As much as I
wish I showed dog-like devotion and always dropped everything to spend time
with God, loved Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, lived to serve
Him, tolerated annoyances from my fellow Christians, exhibited patience when my
prayers were not answered according to my time table, and quickly confessed my
wrongdoing, that is not me.
More
cat-like, I set aside time for God when it’s convenient, love from selfish
motives, expect Him to meet my needs, barely keep my lips zipped when irritated
with others, pout and whine when I don’t get what I want when I want it, and automatically
try to transfer blame to others when I’m accused of wrong doing.
And yet, unbelievably and undeservedly, God loves me.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty
one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by
his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
He treasures
the time with me. He wants me to cuddle up in His comforting arms
and pour out my heart to Him. And, as I do with Baxter, God gives me what I
need, not what I want, although I may not like it any more than Baxter likes a
trip to the vet.
My soul's desire is to become more devoted, more holy, more trusting, more faithful--in other words, more dog-like. How about you? When it comes to your relationship with God, are you more like a dog or a cat?
My soul's desire is to become more devoted, more holy, more trusting, more faithful--in other words, more dog-like. How about you? When it comes to your relationship with God, are you more like a dog or a cat?
Blessings!
Pam©2013 Pamela D. Williams
